Europe’s leaders on Wednesday held their first summit in 43 years without Britain and moved quickly to try to get control of what they referred to — with diplomatic understatement — as a “new situation” facing the Continent.

The meeting came after a Tuesday night dinner with British Prime Minister David Cameron, at which the U.K. and the EU essentially said goodbye to each other, agreeing the decision by British voters in last week’s referendum must be respected.

The mission on Wednesday was for the rest of the bloc to move on — and show that it had gotten the message from the British vote.

“There are too many people in Europe who are unhappy with the current state of affairs and who expect us to do better,” European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters after the meeting ended.

He and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said it was up to Britain to make the next move in the historic split by formally notifying the EU of its decision to leave. Until then, they said, no negotiations on any future relations between Britain and the EU could take place.

While the EU wanted to have the U.K. as a “close partner in the near future,” Tusk said, Britain would have to play by the rules.

Tusk said leaders “made it crystal clear today” that access to the EU single market for Britain depends on respecting the EU’s fundamental principles — including the free movement of people and labor, a major issue in the Brexit campaign. He added, “There will be no single market à la carte.”

The rhetoric from all sides continued to mine the metaphor of the end of a marriage.

“It’s not about him today,” said Lithuania’s president, Dalia Grybauskaitė, referring to Cameron as she arrived at the meeting. “Today is about us.”

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said the U.K. vote showed that EU leaders needed to stop blaming the EU when things go wrong. “Otherwise,” Michel said, “they should not act surprised about the rise of populism in Europe.”

The leaders of the 27 nations who will remain in the EU sought to make a show of solidarity by moving quickly. They issued a short declaration saying they had accepted Britain’s decision with “regret.” But they also demanded that the divorce proceedings moved in an “orderly fashion” to end the uncertainty facing global markets.

‘Reality check’

But the main focus was on what’s next for the rest of the bloc.

“We are determined to remain united and work in the framework of the EU to deal with the challenges of the 21st century,” said the seven-point statement.

Ever vigilant about protocol, EU officials took care to call the gathering an “informal meeting” rather than an official summit, because Britain is still technically a member. The meeting was billed by Tusk as the start of long process and leaders agreed to begin a “political reflection on the future.”

That might be a difficult healing process, some leaders said.

“When it comes to us as social democrats, I think we need a reality check,” said Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat. “As is the case of conservative forces in Europe, most of our parties have ended up being perceived as elites, being there for everyone but our constituencies, everyone but the common folk and accusing people who are concerned about migration of being racist.”

Leaders promised to revisit the issue at a summit in Slovakia in September. The decision to meet outside Brussels was intended to send a message that EU leaders and officials might need to get out more often. It could also signal that eastern European countries will be given more of a say on issues that have traditionally been the domain of core European powers like France, Germany and Italy.

Fear doesn’t work

Slovakia, whose positions on Europe’s migration policies have diverged sharply from those of the Commission and western European powers, will take over the EU’s rotating Council presidency next week.

French President François Hollande called meeting a “new start,” and said that “Europe must show its solidity, its solidarity, its capacity to propose initiatives for and with Europeans.”

There were signs that Wednesday’s common message masked differences over how to move forward. Some countries, led by France, Germany and Italy, have pushed for greater integration among EU countries, while others — especially in Eastern Europe — said there was a need to go slow.

“Building a multi-speed Europe is the end of Europe,” said Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło. “If politicians feel strongly about unity and that it should be 27 countries, they have to get rid of the idea of a multi-speed Europe or the concept of elite groups.”

She added, “There’s no problem of Euroskeptics in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or the Czech Republic. Today the problems are in the old Union.”

The push Wednesday was to accentuate the positive aspects of the union — providing peace and stability — without raising concern for those who have reservations about deeper, faster integration.

“We shouldn’t only use fear to convince for ‘more Europe,’” said one French official at the summit. “It didn’t work in the U.K. and it has to be about what Europe is doing right and how it can be positive to the people.”

In a blog post Wednesday, Lithuania’s Vytenis Andriukaitis, the European commissioner for health and food safety, said it was time for countries to start finding ways to fix the EU and stop “the cacophony and constant bashing of Brussels.”

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Mike

What impact will losing the UK’s net contribution have on the EU budget, in particular on the Administration part?

Posted on 6/29/16 | 3:06 PM CET

Jean Bonbon

The Brexit shows weaknesses in the EU on three areas:
1 The older, locally thinking generations vs the new EU citizen thinking generations;
2 The challenge of European culture by islam;
3 The economy and the needed reforms where countries blame the EU for their own lack of change.

1 The generation gap can be easily solved. Time is doing the healing and in time, nobody will remember what this fuzz was all about.

2 It is clear that a vast amount of Europeans – whether they are a majority or not – are strongly opposed to the muslim migration to Europe. The change due to internal economic migration in the EU is already at the maximum of possible absorption in many areas and countries. That should have been limited anyway, so in time there would be a more natural adjustment instead of this Eastern European shock import. Importing from out of the EU large amount of cultural hostile groups is pushing the limit. This has to stop and it has to stop now! It doesn’t matter whether other political views or parties do agree with this. As long as such a mass group of European citizens are against it, this migration should not be allowed so structural damage to our society can be prevented.

3 This could and should have been solved much earlier. Instead of a financial penalty for financial, fiscal and economical dysfunctional countries, the Commission should have automatically power of the regarding legislature in those countries. It is clear that some countries, due to political or other reasons, are not able to adjust themselves to a reasonable sustainable economical behavior. As a consequence, they should ultimately not have the final say on that subject when the costs are not (only) their own.

Finally, a local referendum should only be allowed to be applied to local laws. Laws that are subservient to EU law and as such, should never be able to overrule EU laws or institutions. Moreover, a referendum should represent an overwhelming strong opinion against a certain law. That means an overwhelming high election turnout and of that, an overwhelming high rejection of, that subject. I’m thinking in the area of at least ⅔ turnout of which at least ⅔ are opposed to. If this (partly) involves (the functioning of) the EU, this should be held EU wide. It can’t be that say, a referendum in Malta, may have severe EU wide consequences.

Posted on 6/29/16 | 3:23 PM CET

emmbeeaitch

Wow, I find your last paragraph truly scary, Jean Bonbon.

So glad the UK escaped in time.

Posted on 6/29/16 | 6:25 PM CET

ColinM

@Jean Bonbon

I can only second the comment by emmbeeaitch – What you suggest is totally outrageous.

Posted on 6/29/16 | 6:40 PM CET

FierEuropeen

” said it was time for countries to start finding ways to fix the EU and stop “the cacophony and constant bashing of Brussels.” ” Quite right, that will be an act of very dangerous self-harm as we saw, instead the governments should spread the message about the rewards of belonging to the EU and of being European.

Posted on 6/29/16 | 6:58 PM CET

Gavin

“There’s no problem of Euroskeptics in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or the Czech Republic. Today the problems are in the old Union.” – of course few people like the others using the olds credit card and these 4 are opposed to all immigration changes that would address this properly address this problem – so thank you Visegrads it is clear to me that Europe has to split from you. You have taken the money built the roads and railway tracks that your government should of built anyway and seek to selfishly grab whatever you can as fast as you can undermining the generosity of the original old members.

Icepilot

knight

@Gavin
You can split from us. We will be glad to get away from bullies. But do not call what is left ‘Europe’, let us call your country and the rest ‘Rope’

Posted on 6/30/16 | 3:40 AM CET

Maria Valentina Umer

You Brits: the EU is not about budgets and fiddling with how much and who contributes to it. It is about a Union of half a million people who want to support each other for peace in an increasingly complex and dangerous world. I find the Brexiteers´ arguments too simplistic. They count only they pounds and pennies on this issue. Isn´t it a old English saying “ Penny wise, pound foolish?” You´re not seeing the forrest for the trees. You will regret this Brexit for ever. Also because your default on the Union has sent an important psychological message to the rest of the world. You don´t want to cooperate with your partners and fellow Europeans. You want only special deals. With whom you will deal is utterly unclear. You will likely sink economically and polically. I really hope Scotland gets its way into the EU soon. I think it will be a more reliable partner to the EU than this failed England. The EU project will not fail because little England has failed! All of the British expats enjoying life for decades in the continent will feel the pinch. And they will likely leave for others what they amassed in property. I imagine them going back to Yorkshire pudding and steak-and-kidney-pie, with lots of umbrellas. Oh, Britannia! The Dover cliffs await you.

Posted on 6/30/16 | 7:58 PM CET

Maria Valentina Umer

A commentator to the Brexit issue recently wrote, with a sense of British humour: the Union Jack will soon simply be called Jack!

Posted on 6/30/16 | 8:05 PM CET

Maria Valentina Umer

It will be interesing seeing the reported 2 million Britsh expats leaving their livelihoods in the Continent. A lot of property will go back on the market for dumping prices, as the Brits scramble back to the UK. The surge of applications by Brits for an Irish passport shows they want to stay in the continent. But life is not likely to be as cosy as before, unless indeed the expats are married to a non-UK EU citizen. What a mess, this Brexit! But the 27-EU will come out stronger, I´m sure.

Posted on 6/30/16 | 8:16 PM CET

Martin Faustein

aww boo hoo listen to all the butthurt eurotrash. wah wah. we don’t need you, you need us. It might hurt us in the short term but in the long term we will trade much better and more efficiently. We have TONS of countries knocking on our door asking to trade with us but you prattle on about. Remember this: The europeans never wanted us, never made us feel welcome, always bitched about us because we did better than them. de Gaulle blocked us twice from joining the EEC and now we leave you throw in the insults too… and you wonder why we wanted to leave your wonderful union? Have fun in the EU army and enjoy the never ending immigration eurokiddies. We will throw you a bone or too if you drop the attitude.

Posted on 7/1/16 | 12:35 AM CET

ColinM

What so many outside the UK don’t seem to be appreciating is what drives much of the UKs thinking on the EU. We are here accused of being only interested in the trade and financial side. Well, the Thatcher era has not faded from our memories and many of the areas still blighted by the industrial contraction of those days are the strongest supporters of Brexit. We know what it is to have an inefficient economy and the pain it takes to climb out of that hole. And having been through that we find ourselves now lashed hand and foot to a Eurozone that shows all the ‘too big to fail, efficiency doesn’t matter’ thinking that we suffered in the pre-Thatcher era. That scares us just as hyperinflation frightens the Germans. Everyone accepts Germany’s motivation in that but fail to even know of this emotion in the UK.

Also, you fail to appreciate the scale and duration of the migration issue here. England (which bears the bulk of the immigration) is one of the most densely populated areas of Europe. Similarly densely populated countries such as the Netherlands have much lower net migration. Also, the devil is as always in the detail. The net migration is built up of roughly speaking 600,000/annum of working age in and 300,000 mainly retired Brits out. So as far as employment is concerned the outgoing retirees actually don’t help. Yes, they give up a job but retired people need others to paint their houses, service their cars and draft their wills etc – jobs we effectively export to Spain etc when they leave. The bottom line is we need to grow the job market here by between 0.5 and 1% just to stand still. And with the UK birth rate over the last two decades we need to grow it even faster if youth unemployment is to be avoided.

There is also an ethnicity issue here. In an attempt to keep net migration down the UK is effectively having to refuse entry to mainly Asian people with long-standing family ties to the UK because we are unable while in the EU to limit the number of mainly white people (and mainly without long-standing family ties to the UK) coming in from the EU. This understandably does not sit well with most of us and you can perhaps now see why Brexit support spans the white and Asian communities here.

I would second Martin Faustein’s comments that we were never made welcome. We might have been far closer to the EU if, for example, our ‘friends’ had helped us rather than sitting on their hands and watching us crash out of the ERM at vast cost. We are the ‘Billy No-mates’ who has finally decided to leave the shared apartment where everyone else is busy sh@gg!ng one another. So why the vitriol at our leaving?

Posted on 7/1/16 | 8:31 AM CET

WW

Even the God doesn’t wish to raise these people up in hell, considering they will pollute the hell.

Posted on 7/2/16 | 12:26 AM CET

meh

@Maria Valentina Umer

“I really hope Scotland gets its way into the EU soon. I think it will be a more reliable partner to the EU than this failed England”

By ‘reliable’ you mean ‘compliant’. You’ll cling to anything pro EU. They voted pro UK a couple of years ago in a referendum. In any case, you really don’t know the Scots if you think they’ll be there for the ride, they are worse than us when they disagree with something… and they have Bagpipes!

The SNP are one trick ponies. They dream of an independent Scotland above all else at any cost… you know the very thing you hate us for. Independence from the UK then join an even more detached EU. That’ll work out well.